50 Books, 150 Pages or Less: Part 3 of 3

Great novels don't have to be long. For anyone short on time or attention, here are some great reads with less than 150 pages.

Interested in other short reads? Come by the library and check out our Short Fiction display, or view all three parts of this list.

	When the Emperor Was Divine: A Novel by Julie Otsuka 143 pages Otsuka’s novel follows the internment of a Japanese-American family during World War II, with each of its five chapters narrated by a different family member. Publishers Weekly When the Emperor Was Divine a “heartbreaking, bracingly unsentimental debut,” while the New York Times wrote that “Ms. Otsuka's precise but poetic evocation of the ordinary that lends this slender novel its mesmerizing power.” More about the book
	The Messiah of Stockholm: A Novel by Cynthia Ozick 141 pages Lars Andemening is a descendant of Polish Jews. Orphaned during World War II, he grew up in Sweden. Twice divorced and estranged from his only child, Lars leads a solitary life with the growing conviction that he is the son of Bruno Schulz, a Polish writer killed by the Nazis. Reviewing it for the New York Times, none other than Harlold Bloom described Ozick’s novel as, simply, “brilliant”. http://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/22/books/the-book-of-the-father.html?ref=bookreviews More about the book
	The Yellow Arrow by Victor Pelevin 92 pages A long distance train rushes across Russia toward a wrecked bridge. The train has no beginning or end and it is impossible to get off, but the passengers are apparently indifferent. According to Publishers Weekly, Pelevin’s novel of post-soviet anxieties “fuses pungent, visceral imagery reminiscent of Maxim Gorky with an absurdist comic outlook.” More about the book
	Death is Not the End: An Inspector Rebus Novella by Ian Rankin 73 pages In this swift, suspenseful introduction to Rankin’s hardened Edinburgh policeman, John Rebus receives a call from his high school sweetheart and agrees to track down her missing son. Publishers Weekly stated that in Death is Not the End, “Taut exposition, wry dialogue and deft plotting, together with an insider's view of the seedy underside of Edinburgh, combine to make a superior thriller.” More about the book
	The End of the Alphabet by C.S. Richardson 119 pages After a doctor gives Ambrose Zephyr one month to live, he and his wife embark on a whirlwind world tour, visiting all the places they love or have always wanted to see from A to Z--Amsterdam to Zanzibar. Kirkus Reviews stated that The End of the Alphabet “distills the essence of life and love,” and that, although the book could be read in a single sitting, it could “continue to resonate with readers for weeks, months, even years.” More about the book
	The Humbling by Philip Roth 140 pages In the 13th novel from Pulitzer and National Book Award winner Roth, an aging stage actor suddenly loses his talent, followed by his audience and his wife. Struggling to rebuild his life, he begins a disastrous relationship with a younger woman. NPR called The Humbling “a swift but piercing, uncluttered but nuanced morality tale,” while USA Today described it as “slim, bleak, and sexy.” More about the book
	Salt River: A Novel by James Sallis 146 pages John Turner--former soldier, policeman, convict, and psychotherapist--moved to rural Tennessee to escape his past. While serving as interim sheriff, a fatal car accident and a visitor from his past destroy his hard-won tranquility. Publishers Weekly called Salt River “sublime,” while Booklist stated that, “Like a tightly structured blues song, the melancholy tale finds resonance in every line and every prolonged chord.” Salt River is the third and final volume of the celebrated Turner series, which begins with Cypress Grove and Cripple Creek. More about the book
	As We Are Now: A Novel by May Sarton 133 pages Sarton’s harrowing exploration of growing old and unwanted was first published in 1973. After suffering a heart attack, 76-year-old Caroline Spencer is moved by relatives into a nursing home. As We Are Now is Caroline’s diary of her time there. Legendary critic Brooks Atkinson called Sarton’s novel “a masterly portrait of a woman’s loneliness, helplessness and despair.” More about the book
	The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil by George Saunders 134 pages In the first book-length work from acclaimed satirist Saunders, the country of Inner Horner--which is surrounded by the larger and more prosperous Outer Horne--is so small that it can only hold one of its seven citizens at a time. One day, Inner Horner inexplicably shrinks, leaving most of its current inhabitant in Outer Horner. Led by their president Phil, the Outer Hornerites declare an invasion in progress and the two countries go to war. Kirkus Reviews called The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil “a mind-bending work inviting readers to ponder the nature of parable and the possibilities of language.” More about the book
	The List: A Love Story in 781 Chapters by Aneva Stout 94 pages Stout’s funny, clever debut takes the form of a gift book, telling a tale of love lost and found and lost again in 781 second-person affirmations. For example, “373. You’ll waste lots of time trying to interpret his response.” Publishers Weekly wrote that The List: “offers all the guilty pleasures of chick lit,” and that, despite its length, it “has enough drama, emotional resonance and sharp throw-away lines to make it worth revisiting, either in part or whole.” More about the book
	The Jerusalem File by Joel Stone 147 pages In Stone’s acclaimed mystery, retired Israeli security service officer Levin leads a solitary life but agrees to follow the wife of an acquaintance. He becomes obsessed with his target and, after her lover dies mysteriously, she has a request of her own. The Jerusalem File is an expert combination of hardboiled mystery and insightfulportrait of modern Israel. More about the book
	Frontera Dreams: A Hector Balascoran Shayne Detective Novel by Paco Ignacio Taibo II 120 pages Paco Ignacio Taibo’s mysteries featuring the one-eyed existentialist detective Hector Balascoran Shayne are internationally renowned and wildly popular in the author’s native Mexico. This slim volume follows Shane north to the US-Mexico border, where he has gone to search for his vanished childhood sweetheart. Taibo’s novels are far from traditional mysteries, but they’re not to be missed. As one reviewer in the Washington Post Book World wrote,"Lovers of modern Latin-American literature should snap up [Taibo's work], as should mystery fans who like storytelling that's as fractured as the age they live in, and far more artful." More about the book
	Camera by Jean-Philippe Toussaint 122 pages Camera is both a comedy and a philosophical novel—simultaneously feather light and bleakly heavy. Toussaint’s Parisian narrator does very little—he considers taking driving lessons, probably falls in love, goes on a few short trips, and finds a camera. Some readers may be turned off by the novel’s relative lack of a plot, but for anyone who prizes inventiveness, there might not be a better book on this list. More about the book
	The Club of Angels by Luis Fernando Verissimo 135 pages A club of middle-aged gourmands meet monthly for lavish feasts. After each meal, one of them dies. The Club of Angels spent more than ten years on the bestseller list in the author’s native Brazil. Publishers Weekly called it a “swift and acidic portrait of a (literally) poisoned network of friendships,” with, “a bite that endures because of the great intelligence underlying it.” More about the book
	Inside Job by Connie Willis 99 pages Rob, professional debunker and publisher of Jaundiced Eye magazine, is forced to reconsider his beliefs after attending a séance with his ex-actress employee Kildy where the medium seems to be channeling HL Menkin. According to Booklist, “Willis, one of SF's most spirited writers, rounds on the New Age; pays tribute to a great, skeptical journalist; and affectionately parodies pulp fiction at its best in this irresistible entertainment.” More about the book
	Double Homicide by Jonathan and Faye Kellerman 147 and 133 pages Actually two books short novels packaged in one reversible volume, Double Homicide is a great introduction to two masters of crime fiction who happen to be married to each other. Two tales of murder and suspense set in two different cities. More about the book

50 Books, 150 Pages or Less: Part 2 of 3

Great novels do not have to be long. Look for part three in the coming months and check out part one for more recommendations.

	Being There by Jerzy Kosinski 142 pages Time Magazine's original review of this modern classic by Kosinski called it "a tantalizing knuckle ball of a book delivered with perfectly timed satirical hops and metaphysical flutters." Blatantly satirical without being heavy-handed, Being There tells the story of the meteoric rise of Chauncy Gardiner from simple gardener to media celebrity and vice presidential candidate. The movie adaptation starring Peter Sellers is also available at the library. More about the book
	Intimacy by Hanif Kureishi 118 pages Kureichi's novel, which provoked controversy in Britain when it was first published, is the tormented but lyrical interior monologue of a man contemplating leaving his wife. According to Booklist, "Intimacy brilliantly explores love's dying throes." Publishers Weekly called it "a devastating and insightful portrait of how betrayal can become a form of self-renewal." More about the book
	Disquiet by Julia Leigh 120 pages A woman visits her mother's chateau for the first time in a decade with her two young children. They are quickly joined by her brother and sister-in-law, who have arrived with the corpse of their still-born baby. Disquiet is a suspenseful family drama that edges into horror. USA Today called it a "powerful, audacious, even shocking portrait of familial decay," saying that, "Leigh has packed so much nuance into 121 taut pages that you finish the slim volume and immediately want to read it again." More about the book
	The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing 133 pages In Nobel Prize-winner Lessing's contemporary gothic, the domestic idyll of Harriet and David Lovatt is thrown horrifically off-balance by the birth of their fifth child--a shriveled goblin of an infant who only becomes more ferocious and deformed,physically and morally,as he ages. When The Fifth Child was originally published in 1988, The New York Times called it a "horror story of maternity and the nightmare of social collapse" that was "destined to become a minor classic." More about the book
	Carte Blanche by Carlo Lucarelli 108 pages In the final year of World War II, Commissario De Luca investigates the torture and murder of a well-connected drug dealer, diving into the murky, interconnected depths of crime and politics in late fascist Italy. Part one of a trilogy by Lucarelli, a wildly popular crime writer in his native Italy, Carte Blanche is gritty noir that Kirkus Reviews called a "smart and stylish crime yarn" from an "Italian noir master." Followed by The Damned Season and Via Delle Oche. More about the book
	Esther's Inheritance by Sándor Márai 148 pages After a twenty year absence, the love of Esther's life has returned with his adult children and a mysterious woman to whom he is apparently indebted. Lajos, a charismatic con man who married Esther's sister instead of Esther and disappeared after her sister's death, has come to ask a favor that it is difficult for Esther to refuse. Márai was one of Hungary's leading literary novelists in the 1930s. A committed pacifist, he survived World War II only to be driven out of the country by its new communist regime, dying in obscurity in San Diego many years later. His novels have only recently appeared in English, to wide critical acclaim. More about the book
	Shopgirl by Steve Martin 130 pages The bittersweet first novel by actor Steve Martin. Lonely, shy Mirabelle, who sells gloves at a Beverly Hills department store, catches the eye of millionaire Ray Porter. The New York Times called Martin's novel ''elegant, bleak, desolatingly sad", and ''Martin's most achieved work to date.'' More about the book
	Driving Lessons by Ed McBain 72 pages Publishers Weekly called Driving Lessons "a complex tale of human frailty, with nary a wasted word," with a resolution that is "as shocking as it is unexpected." When a sixteen-year-old accidently runs down a pedestrian during a driving lesson, two facts are apparent to the police: that the driving inspector, though he passes a breathalyser test, appears to be drunk, and that victum is his wife. More about the book
	The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan 127 pages This early novel by one of Britain's most acclaimed authors was praised by The New York Times for its "originality, vividness, wit and power to intrigue." Colin and Mary, an unmarried couple vacationing in an unnamed European city, put their trust in a stranger onlt to be drawn into his violent fantasies. More about the book
	Mr. Thundermug by Cornelius Medvei 105 pages This "case history", complete with photographs and drawings, tells the story of Mr. Thundermug, an oragutan with "an unsettling mastery of human speech" whose attempt to live in a London-like city with his wife and children is met with no small amount of scorn and misunderstanding. Publishers Weekly called Medvei's novel a "gently affecting and often funny allegory of the outsider." More about the book
	My Happy Life: A Novel by Lydia Millet 150 pages Abandoned in a locked room in a mental hospital, Millet's nameless narrator recalls a life full of gross misfortune in a deceptively simple, unstintingly optimistic voice that slowly reveals, instead of pitiful naivety, tremendous strength and wisdom. Publishers Weekly called My Happy Life a "courageous and memorable achievement." More about the book
	Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore 147 pages A disenchented middle-aged women remembers a summer of adolescent rebellion in Moore's poignant, acidly funny novel about growing older. The New York Times called Moore's book "a sad, witty, disillusioned fairy tale" with the power to make readers laugh and cry. More about the book
	The Painter of Signs by R.K. Narayan 142 pages The Painter of Signs is a wry, bittersweet love story from celebrated Indian novelist Narayan that The Times of London called "subtle, vivid …also extremely funny." After being hired to paint signs for a new new clinic, Raman falls in love--despite his best intentions and the advice of those around him--with a young, progressively-minded woman named Daisy who is dedicated to bringing birth control to the area. More about the book
	Fire in the Blood by Irène Némirovsky 137 pages One of a handful of manuscripts discovered and translated long after Némirovsky perished at Auschwitz, Fire in the Blood is an intimate portrait of love and passion in a rural French village. Library Journal called it an "exquisitely wrought tale" that posesses "the power of myth." More about the book
	Beasts by Joyce Carol Oates 138 pages The narrator of Oates' gothic tale, a student at an all-girls college in New England, is obsessed with her poetry teacher and his sculptor wife. BookList said of Beasts that "Oates' control of this smart, steely tale of the baser side of human nature is absolute, as are its dark and scintillating pleasures." More about the book
	The Stones Cry Out by Hikaru Okuizumi 138 pages The first of Okuizumi's novels to be translated into English and the winner of Japan's most prestigious literary award, The Stones Cry Out tells the story of a Japanese World War II veteran whose traumatic experience lingers long after the war's end. Publishers Weekly called it a "lyrical, riveting study of obsession, family disintegration and war's dehumanizing effects." More about the book
	Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan 146 pages Blurbing Last Night at the Lobster, Stephen King called it "A deeply moving novel about how we work, how we live, and how we get to the next day with our spirits intact." Manny DeLeon, the manager of a Connecticut Red Lobster slated to close for underperforming, reflects on his personal and professional life while trying to make his restaurant's last day of business perfect. More about the book

50 Books, 150 Pages or Less: Part 1 of 3

A good novel doesn’t have to be long novel. Here are some great, short reads for those of us with a shortage of time or attention. Look for parts two and three in the coming months.

	Ghosts by César Aira 139 pages A strange, ultimately touching story about a migrant family living atop an incomplete apartment building that is also inhabited by ghosts that only they can see. According to the New York Times, "Aira is one of the most provocative and idio­syncratic novelists working in Spanish today, and should not be missed." More about the book
	Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster 145 pages Booklist called Auster's spare novel "an archly playful and shrewdly philosophical tribute to the transcendence of stories." A man who has lost his memory wakes up in a barren room only to confront a parade of people he may have hurt, though he does not know how. More about the book
	The Mezzanine: A Novel by Nicholson Baker 135 pages Reviewing this novel in 1989, the New York Times stated that "Its 135 pages probably contain more insight into life as we live it than anything currently on the best-seller lists." Despite having almost no plot or conflict, The Mezzanine is an insightful and very funny book about the trivial objects and events that populate daily life. More about the book
	The Actual by Saul Bellow 103 pages Library Journal called this late novel by the Nobel laureate "an achingly simple cry from the heart that reads like a parting love letter." After living most of his adult life overseas, Bellow's narrator returns to Chicago and becomes reacquainted with his first love. More about the book
	The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett 128 pages The Queen of England develops a passion for reading after chasing a runaway corgi into a bookmobile and feeling obligated to check out a book. USA Today called Bennett's book a "hilarious and pointed...lesson in the redemptive and subversive power of reading," saying that, "Most of all, The Uncommon Reader is a lot of fun to read." More about the book
	The Lemur by Benjamin Black 132 pages A journalist agrees to write to the biography of his father-in-law, a former CIA operative and the head of a telecommunication company. To help he hires a researcher who is quickly murdered, possibly for learning a little too much. Who killed him and why? Kirkus Reviews declared that "Black's prose is so mesmerizing--crisp precise, alive with telling details--that you'll enjoy every step." Benjamin Black is a pen name of Man Booker Prize-winner John Banville. More about the book
	By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño 130 pages Bolaño's fever dream of a novel is a deathbed confession by a priest and literary critic who passively supported the Pinochet regime. By Night in Chile, which the New York Times described as "densely learned" and "richly evocative," Was the first of Bolaño's critically acclaimed novels to appear in English. More about the book
	A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr 135 pages Physically and mentally scarred by his experience as a soldier in World War I and reeling from a divorce, Tom Birkin seeks solitude in the English countryside. The Atlantic Monthly called Carr's much-loved novel "a story of spiritual regeneration, even of resurrection," that possesses "not mere lyrical beauty but a rare generosity of vision and an ever alert sense of the absurd." More about the book
	The Final Solution: A Story of Detection by Michael Chabon 131 pages Retired and intent on beekeeping, a detective resembling Sherlock Holmes is persuaded to take the case of a stolen parrot. New York Magazine called Pulitzer Prize-winner Chabon's sly but resonant homage to the classic detective story "a profound pleasure." More about the book
	The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 134 pages Cisneros' iconic first novel. In a series of short vignettes, teenage Esperanza describes growing up in Chicago amongst great poverty and her dreams of escaping. When this book was originally published in 1991, the New York Times stated that Cisneros "seduces with precise, spare prose, creat[ing] unforgettable characters we want to lift off the page... She is not only a gifted writer, but an absolutely essential one." More about the book
	The Body Artist : A Novel by Don DeLillo 124 pages Delillo's novel about a recently widowed "body artist" who discovers a small, strange man living in her rented house is a meditation on art, time, and perception. The New York Times praised the book's "exquisite beauty," describing it as an "intimate affair, quiet, spare and strange--but not so strange as to distract from the glories of the chiseled prose." More about the book
	Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald 141 pages Follows the lives of an eccentric community living on barges in the Thames. Booker Prize judges called Fitzgerald's novel "flawless" when it was first published in 1979. For more on Fitzgerald, see our earlier post: Have You Read...Penelope Fitzgerald. More about the book
	Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons 126 pages Orphaned eleven year old Ellen Foster's moving and often funny account of finally finding a place to call home. Gibbons book was an early selection of Oprah's Book Club. More about the book
	Necklace and Calabash: A Chinese Detective Story by Robert van Gulik 143 pages A Dutch diplomat and expert on Chinese history and culture, van Gulik wrote a series of mysteries set in medieval China that featured the inimitable magistrate Judge Dee. These mysteries have had a devoted following, and garnered plenty of praise, ever since they appeared in the 1950s and 60s. The St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers goes so far as to call them "certainly the finest ethnographic detective novels in English." Though it is one of the last books in the series, Necklace and Calabash is a great place to start. More about the book
	The Man in the Picture: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill 145 pages When it was published in the UK, The Independent called Hill's novel "A masterclass in the art of dread." An old-fashioned ghost story about the sinister secrets hiding in a mysterious painting. More about the book
	Grief by Andrew Holleran 150 pages "Grief," according to Salon.com, "is a strange, slim, beautiful book… like a single note struck on a perfect silver bell, it carries far." Holleran's eloquent, understated novel is narrated by an aging professor who moves to Washington, DC after the death of his mother. Grief won a Stonewall Book Award in 2007. More about the book
	The Name of the World by Denis Johnson 129 pages Johnson's spare, poetic story of a college professor's attempts to come to terms with the deaths of his wife and child. The Los Angeles Times said, of Johnson's novel, "How easy it is to forget, with all the trivia in print cluttering our lives, that words can be this supple a vehicle for transcendent healing." More about the book